A Midsummer Tights Dream by Louise Rennison (Misadventures of Tullalah Casey #2)

Tallulah is back at Dother Hall, home to the arts academy she attended in the last book. Tullalah is happy to be reunited with her friends, The Tree Sisters, and the boys at Wolfe Hall. But she is confused about snogging and Charlie and most of all about the town bad boy, Cain.

Truly Tallulah is Georgia Nicholson's successor as she should be, being cousins and all. She is so confused by the Snogging Scale that Georgia and her Ace Gang made up and does nose licking even rate on the scale? She is afraid she is no good at kissing and is too tall and gangly for the boys. But Tallulah is a charming girl and very quirky and so all the boys love her. Much like Georgia no matter how weird Tallulah is, they still want to snog her.

There is a lot of slang and I wonder if British girls are really like this. I mean, I can see a lot of myself in Tallulah at that age, wondering if boys like me. It's pretty obvious to me who likes her but she really only sees her flaws. There is a lot of crazy stuff that happens and the way Tallulah talks is different but funny. And ooh er, there is one really terrific kissing scene that had me melting just like Tallulah.

Misadventures of Tullalah Casey
Withering Tights

Blandings Castle ... and Elswhere by P.G. Wodehouse

The Blandings Castles short stories contained in this book are meant to be read before Summer Lightning.  Something I didn't do, but still I don't know how much that really matters. All the stories were hilarious and entertaining in true Wodehouse style. 

"The Custody of the Pumpkin" takes the reader back before Lord Emsworth acquired the Empress of Blandings and become obsessed with his pig.  In this story he is worried about a prized pumpkin and the loss of his head gardener.  Also Freddie gets married and Lord Emsworth is at first dismayed, but then later delighted to learn who Freddie married.

"Lord Emsworth Acts for the Best"- Freddie's wife leaves him when he does something stupid (just like Freddie) and Lord Emsworth decides to fix the situation so as not to be stuck with Freddie. This leads to an awkwardly hilarious encounter with his daughter-in-law and her little dog. 

"Pig-hooo-o-o-ey" - With the loss of his pig-man, Lord Emsworth searches for a way to get the Empress of Blandings to eat for fear of her losing weight and the prized pig competition.  With the help of niece Angela's young man, he succeeds in both his endeavor with his pig and with helping the two young people come together.

"Company for Gertrude - Freddie tries to help his cousin Gertrude with her love problems but manages to annoy his father in the meantime. 

"The Go-getter" - Freddie tries to convince his aunt to buy the dog biscuits of his father-in-law's company, leading to a confrontation between Gertrude's fiance's dog and his aunt's dog and solving Gertrude's love problems.

"Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend" - Lord Emsworth makes friend with a young girl and her brother and tries to avoid a tiresome event at Blandings Castle.

Wodehouse Challenge

Summer Lightning by P.G. Wodehouse

Once again, Blandings Castle is host to a series of misunderstandings and false identities, all leading up to some seriously funny happenings.  Hugo Carmody, secretary to Lord Emsworth, is in love with Lord Emsworth's niece, Millicent Threepwood, and he schemes to find a way to marry her.  Meanwhile, Lord Emsworth's nephew, Ronnie Fish, is in love with a chorus girl named Sue Brown, much to the objections of his aunt.  And Galahad Threepwood, brother to Lord Emsworth, is writing his reminiscences which worries the upper class society.  These three things together make up the hilarious goings-on in Summer Lightning

"There are mysteries afoot in this house, and I don't like 'em. The atmosphere of Blandings Castle has changed all of a sudden from that of normal, happy
English home into something Edgar Allan Poe might have written on a rainy Sunday."

 Another fun adventure at Blandings Castle! I love these British stories.  It's like reading a British sitcom.  As usual, it is a typical Wodehouse comedy.  The Efficient Baxter makes an appearance after an invitation from Lady Constance to steal Galahad's manuscript and I love how Lord Emsworth thinks that Baxter is just crazy even though all the stuff Baxter does has a rationale.  And this book involves what it seems will be one of many stories involving the thief of the Empress of Blandings, Lord Emsworth's prized pig.  So funny!


Hogwarts: Muggle Studies
Wodehouse Challenge

Leave It to Psmith by P.G. Wodehouse

Back to Blandings Castle! This time the occupants get involved in what becomes a fairly elaborate scheme to steal Lady Constance's necklace in order to get money for both Freddie, youngest son of Lord Emsworth, and Lady Constance's stepdaughter.  Enter Psmith to aid in the scheme and romance the new library cataloger in his charming and verbose way.

Psmith himself regarded the coming ordeal with equanimity.  He was not one of those whom the prospect of speaking in public afflicts with nervous horror.  He liked the sound of his own voice, and night, when it came,found him calmly cheerful.  p.228

I was, once again, amused by the antics at Blandings Castle.  Lord Emsworth played a small role in this novel with most of the action centering on Psmith.  I suppose that is because this is counted as the second Blandings Castle novel and also as the fourth Psmith novel.  I liked Psmith and thought he was witty and funny and very clever and I am definitely going to have to read the other Psmith books.  I liked all the characters in general though Baxter and Lady Constance are the perfect foils for the insanity that surrounds everything that happens at Blandings Castle. I want to feel sorry for Baxter but he sort of makes it impossible for that to happen.  I know he pops up in parts of the rest of the series. 

The plot to steal the necklace got pretty complicated though it was all explained throughout.  It was amazing just how many characters ended up on the scheme. But it all worked out (hilariously) for the best.

Hogwarts: Muggle Studies
Wodehouse

Something New by P.G. Wodehouse

Originally titled Something New, this was republished in the United States as Something Fresh.  When I bought an omnibus Something New was the novel that was included so that is what I read and am reviewing.

If girls realized their responsibilities they would be so careful when they smiled that they would probably abandon the practice altogether.  There are moments in a man's life when a girl's smile can have as important results as an explosion of dynamite.

Something New is classic Wodehouse, but it is early Wodehouse and it is the first of the Blandings Castle Saga.  In it, Lord Emsworth's youngest son, the Honorable Freddie, has become engaged to Aline Peters, the daughter of an American millionaire.  In the course of observing Mr. Peters' priceless scarab collection, the absent-minded Lord Emsworth absconds with one of the scarabs, thinking it a present from Mr. Peters.  Mr. Peters thinks that the old gentleman took it on purpose and contrives a plan to steal it back without Lord Emsworth knowing.  He employs a young man, Ashe Marson, to steal it with a reward of 5000 dollars.  Meanwhile, Miss Peters employs her friend, Joan Valentine, for the same purpose.  When all the parties arrives at Blandings hi-jinks ensue though it ends merrily for all involved.

This was a very amusing story.  I laughed out loud several times.  I like how Lord Emsworth is so absent-minded that he can't even keep track of what he is saying in one conversation.  The core stable of characters is introduced with Lord Emsworth being the central figure.  But we get to know Blandings Castle a bit and are introduced to Rupert Baxter, Lord Emsworth's very efficient secretary and the foil for the robbery.  There was also a surprising amount of women's lib talk, mostly in favor of and that couldn't have been common in 1915.  It is an amusing little comedy and a great start to this series.

Hogwarts: Back in the Day Mini-Challenge
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